Finding Home
by vands88
Summary: Realistic JATE! Alternate S2. Jack and Kate slowly begin to realise that they have feelings for each other. Other characters and relationships included.
1. Prologue

_I don't own Lost but you already knew that. This is my first ever Lost fic, my first move away from my precious Alias fanfics! I haven't finished writing it yet, so updates will most likely be slow. I will try to update once a week though! Enjoy! Thanks to my friend **Claire **for beta'ing this.  
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**Prologue **

Kate was staring out to sea, her eyes unfocused; her mind somewhere else. She heard someone come up behind her but didn't pay attention to it; she was too wrapped up in her own thoughts.

"Kate? Are you okay?"

She turned around in the sand and gave Jack a small smile before looking back out over the waves.

Jack sighed as he sat down in the sand beside her. It was the evening after the raft had sailed and it was nearing dusk, the sky gradually becoming darker.

"Kate. We have to go to the hatch."

Her only response was pulling her knees up even closer to her chest.

Jack sighed again, he would normally give her time to tell him what's wrong but on this occasion they had none to spare. The islanders had managed to find another way into the hatch and everyone else had already brought themselves and their belongings in there already. But Jack had noticed that Kate had been sitting in exactly the same spot ever since they came back from The Black Rock.

"I'll miss the beach." Kate said, suddenly bringing Jack out of his thoughts as she turned to look at him.

Jack let out a small laugh; of course, Kate loved it here. "It's only for a while."

"Yeah." She replied without thinking as her gaze returned, once again, to the sea.

After few moments of silence Jack tried again…"You miss him, don't you?" He said with a hint of disgust in his voice.

Kate moved her eyes to his again and gave him a tiny smile "Not miss as such; I just hope they're okay."

"Yeah, me too. It's almost _too_ quiet around here since Sawyer left."

"Yup." Kate moved her eyes back to the sea again.

Jack followed suit for a while until he realised a drop in temperature and glanced around to notice the sun was setting.

They needed to get out of here soon.

"Kate. We have to go - "

"I know." She interrupted.

Jack stood up and shook the sand off him, holding his hand out to Kate.

She didn't move.

"Kate. We have to go _now._" He said with a sense of urgency in his voice.

She looked up at him from her spot on the ground and after a few seconds thought, she took his hand.

Jack shivered slightly at her touch, but he put it down to the fact that it was getting colder outside. Kate, however, kept his gaze. _'Did she feel it too?'_ His mind questioned but the raindrop landing on his head distracted him.

Jack looked up to the sky. "Stupid monsoon season." He muttered to himself. "Come on Kate!" He shouted to her as they started to run towards the forest, hands still joined.

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Comments are welcome. Thanks for taking the time to read.

- Katie xxx


	2. Chapter 1

Hey guys! Sorry the update is late but thank you very much for all the kind reviews! Here's Chapter 1, I'm afraid there isn't much Jate in this chapter and it's rather short but if it makes you feel any better I wrote Chapters 5 and 6 today and you're going to love me! (I hope)

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**Chapter 1**

About ten minutes later they arrived at the hatch, Jack let go of Kate's hand as he bent over and tried to catch his breath. "You ok?" He asked glancing over at Kate. She nodded in reply, her deep breathing mirroring his.

"Jack! Kate!"

They both snapped their heads up at Locke's voice. "Where have you been? Everyone else is already here!"

They soon got shooed into the hatch, and helped secure the door behind them. It transpired that the hatch was more like an underground house. Hurley had come across another piece of metal on the forest floor in the early afternoon. It took almost the rest of the day to dig it up and even longer to bury it again once they'd found the entrance to hide it from The Others.

They walked down the metal corridor and into the main room.

"What do you think this is?" Charlie said as he came and stood by Jack.

"I dunno…I guess it's just a shelter. I have no idea why though…" He trailed off and took a better look around. Everyone had piled all of the food in the room where they were standing. There were several rooms off to the side, same large and some quite small.

Kate went over to Sun and stared talking to her about rationing food while Jack went to explore the rest of the hatch.

"Hey man!" A familiar voice greeted Jack as he turned around to see Hurley walking towards him.

"Hey."

Hurley caught up to him and smiled proudly, obviously liking the idea that he was in charge of something for once. "Ok, so most people have already taken claim of the rooms and there's only one left…" He trailed off as he stopped in front of a room, or what some might call a broom cupboard.

"This is it?" Jack said peering into the small, dank room.

"Yep. Sorry it's a bit small; you might be able to fit one more person in here but no more. We thought it was perfect for you because you see that door there?" He asked pointing to a door on the left that Jack hadn't noticed before.

"Yeah?" He replied.

"Well that…" Hurley walked over to it and opened the door for Jack as he walked through "…is your very own doctor's room".

He nodded in approval as he looked around; there were shelves on one side of the wall for his medicines and someone had already laid out some aeroplane blankets on the floor serving as a bed.

"Wow, that's great." Jack said turning to face Hurley, genuinely happy that he had thought this out. "Thanks mate."

He smiled in response "Anytime, Jack."

Some shouting in the corridor interrupted them. Jack gave Hurley an apologetic smile before dashing out to see what the fuss was about. To his dismay, he found two men who Jack hardly knew screaming at each other and it looked like they were of the verge of having a full-blown fistfight. He stood still for a minute, unsure of what to do as he watched mesmerised like the others crowded around the fighting men until…

"SHUT UP!"

The corridor instantly became silent as twenty or so heads turned to the source of the female voice.

_Kate_.

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Hope you liked it! Please review.

- Katie xxx


	3. Chapter 2

Sorry it's a bit late but here's the new chapter! Thanks for all of the replies, you guys are sweet. There's a bit more Jaterness in this one and the level of Jate fluff tends to increase per chapter until up to about chapter 7 where...oh, never mind, you'll find out soon enough. :P

Enjoy!

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**Chapter 2**

_Jack gave Hurley an apologetic smile before dashing out to see what the fuss was about. To his dismay, he found two men who Jack hardly knew screaming at each other and it looked like they were on the verge of having a full-blown fistfight. He stood still for a minute, unsure of what to do and watched mesmerised like the others crowded around the fighting men._

"_SHUT UP!"_

_The corridor instantly became silent as twenty or so heads turned to the source of the female voice._

'_Kate'_

She continued in a hushed tone "Danielle said that they will be coming soon." She gulped, "We don't know how soundproof this place is and we all need to remain as quiet as possible."

Jack felt so proud of her and managed to catch her eye giving her a small smile. He could've sworn that Kate had blushed in that moment but before he could verify it Locke stepped in.

"I suggest that nobody goes anywhere alone, we've now locked the door which should keep us safe but just in case, go anywhere inside the hatch in at least twos. That means sleeping in a room with other people, so if you haven't found a room yet, then I suggest that you find one. As Kate said, we also need to be quiet; if you have to speak – whisper…"

Jack nodded is head, showing he understood and decided it was time for his turn "Also, if you're hurt or feeling ill at any time I will be staying in this room" He pointed over to his doctor's room.

"Ok. So in general, be careful and if you hear anything tell someone immediately." Locke finished off.

The crowd scattered after a while, everybody going to their various quarters.

Jack walked past Shannon and Sayid on the way to his room. She was still upset about Boone, and Vincent the dog had gone missing this afternoon, presumed dead.

Jack found his rucksack in the corner of the room and took a look around. The floor, ceiling and walls were all grey. He assumed they were some sort of metal, he confirmed his suspicions by putting his right hand against the wall. Definitely metal.

"What is this place?" Jack wondered out loud.

"I think it's called a room." Someone whispered behind him.

He spun round to find Kate by the door, a sarcastic smile on her lips.

Jack smiled at her "Hey! I didn't know you were here."

"Yeah well…" Kate glanced around the small space with a hint of disgust. "You staying here?"

"Yeah; but on the upside I do have a nice big doctor's room over there," Jack indicated with his thumb to the door on his left and smiled at her.

"You know…you're not supposed to stay alone." Kate said raising her eyebrow.

Jack gave a small chuckle and looked quickly down to the ground before returning his gaze to her. "Kate, if you want to stay here just say so."

"Ok, well, put it this way; you can't sleep alone and every other room is packed full of crazy people and a screaming baby." And with that she dumped her bag down opposite Jack's.

"Ok then. I hope you're not claustrophobic."

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So...Jack and Kate sleeping in the same room together...what could possibly happen? Hehe.

Please review! I don't bite (mostly). Lol.

- Katie xxx


	4. Chapter 3

Sorry this chapter is so short and I kept you for so long! The next chapter is longer and more interesting - promise!

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**Chapter 3**

A while later most people were back in their rooms. After eating, a deadly silence fell over the group. Everyone was on edge, afraid of what was going to happen. Even the baby had stopped crying and if anyone talked at all it was in hushed tones.

As Kate walked past the rooms with Jack she saw how terrified everyone looked. She saw a lady sitting down, knees up to her chest clutching her necklace and muttering words of comfort to herself. There were a couple in a corner not saying a word to each other, just holding on in pained silence. One man was lying on his makeshift bed, his eyes staring blankly ahead. Kate had never seen as much anxiety in a man's eyes as she did then, and that scared her.

_'What if The Others find us?_

_What if They can open the hatch?_

_Will we be able to defend everyone?_

_We have about five guns between us…is that enough?_

_How many of Them are there?_

_Are They really that dangerous?'  
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All these questions kept spinning in her mind until she and Jack arrived at their room.

"Ladies first." Jack whispered, letting her pass through the doorway.

"Always the gentlemen."

"I try."

Kate gave him a dimpled smile and he couldn't help but return it.

A moment passed between them and Jack realised he was still grinning at her. "Umm…we should…" he said indicating towards the light.

"Oh, yeah…" Kate blew out the small candle that they'd found in the hatch earlier. The only light now was the dim glow of a candle in a nearby room.

Jack sighed as he sat down on his 'bed' and Kate soon followed suit, only inches apart in the confined space. He pulled his gun out of his bag and, glancing over at Kate, he noticed she already had hers out. Everyone who could handle a gun had been given one…just in case.

"I have a feeling this will be a long night." Jack's voice echoed ominously in the gloom, making Kate shiver against him.

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So….Jack and Kate alone for the night, try to keep your minds out of the gutter children!

- Katie xxx


	5. Chapter 4

**It's update day! So here's your brand new chappie. Thanks for all of the replies, they always make me smile!**

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**Chapter 4**

A couple of hours later they sat in almost complete darkness and utter silence. Both Jack and Kate were forcing themselves to stay awake to catch any sign of the Others, but they were fighting a losing battle.

Jack's eyes were beginning to close when a muffled thud sounded above him. His head shot upwards on instinct as he tried to locate the source of the noise, before he glanced over at Kate. Although he couldn't see the small lines of worry on her face, he knew they were there. She had heard it too.

Another thud vibrated through the dark.

But this time it was louder.

Kate grabbed his hand in panic; her palms were sweaty from anxiety, Jack squeezed her hand in reassurance, trying to hide the fact from Kate that he was scared too.

"Jack…?" She asked in a deadly whisper.

"I know Kate. It'll be ok. It'll be ok." He muttered, needing to hear it for himself too. His grip on his gun only got tighter as he squeezed his eyes shut, willing for all of this to just go away.

Another noise echoed through the mysterious hatch. It was a soft thud coming from Jack's left and before his mind could react, another thud sounded. And another. And another.

And another.

Jack's breathing quickened and he could hear Kate beside him having the same reaction. He could almost feel the whole hatch tense up as the noise suddenly stopped.

Jack glanced over at Kate and they exchanged terrified looks. Neither knew what was going on but they both knew it was probably the Others and from what they'd heard; that was not good news.

An eerie silence fell over the room and Jack strained to hear any noise at all that might indicate that the Others were still there. After five minutes of intense silence, Kate pulled her hand away from Jack's, slightly embarrassed, and she ran it through her hair. He let out a deep breath, slightly disappointed at the sudden lack of contact.

They exchanged glances again, this time though, it was a much more uncomfortable look, both unsure what to do or say next.

It was Kate who broke the silence at last. "You think they've gone?"

Jack turned to look at her again. "I hope so," he whispered back honestly, a reassuring smile on his face.

A few moments passed before Jack let out a yawn, stifling it with his hand. "I guess I'm a bit tired." He said quietly, before chucking slightly.

Kate smiled, this was the first time she'd ever seen the handsome doctor actually admit that he was tired. "You should sleep."

"Nah, someone needs to be awake in case…"

"Jack, the doctor is no use to _anyone_ if he's too exhausted to do anything. Sleep." She ordered him, giving him a slightly stern look.

He grunted, knowing she had won. "Fine. But as long as you sleep too."

"I thought you said someone needs to stay awake."

"Yeah…well…that someone doesn't have to be you. I bet lots of people are still awake."

Kate sighed loudly, before slowly lying down on her 'bed'. Jack soon joined her, lying face to face.

He'd just closed his eyes when Kate's whisper cut through his thoughts. "Jack…can I ask you something?"

His eyes snapped open and locked with hers. "Sure Kate." He replied while giving her a small smile.

"Do you…" She averted her eyes for a moment, pretending to find the floor fascinating. "Do you believe everything will be ok?" she asked carefully, her eyes darting back up to his.

Jack thought for a moment, unsure of the answer himself. "Yeah…yeah, I believe it will."

"Kind of unlike you…"

He gave her an adorably confused look.

"The whole glass half full thing." She explained.

They both smiled "There's a glass?" Jack chuckled.

He watched her eyes slowly close as she smiled, exhaustion evident on her face.

"Goodnight Kate." He whispered to her.

"Goodnight Jack." She mumbled back as they both drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

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**I hope you enjoyed it and it was worth the wait!**

**What will Jack and Kate get up to?  
Was that really the Others?  
Will They come again?  
**

**I'll try to update every weekend from now on, can't promise anything though!  
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**Reviews welcome, as always.  
**

**- Katie xxx **


	6. Chapter 5

Thank you very much for all of your reviews, they always make me smile! This chapter's a short and sweet one and sorry to say there won't be many more of these because something big happens in the next chapter. So, enjoy the fluff while you can!

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**Chapter 5**

Jack woke a couple of hours later; he assumed that it was the mutterings of the people outside that woke him as he slowly opened his eyes. The most beautiful sight welcomed him as he laid his eyes on a peacefully sleeping Kate, only a couple of inches away from his face. Jack could feel her warm breath on his skin. He watched mesmerised, as her chest moved gently up and down. Her body was still facing his, one arm by her side and the other dangerously close to his lips. Jack couldn't help but watch her, never seeing her as peaceful as she looked at this moment.

_'She's absolutely beautiful' _He thought honestly, smiling slightly as he remembered one time he'd thought it before…

---FLASHBACK---

It was the middle of the day, the sun beaming down on them from its high position in the sky as Jack and Kate carried water back from the caves. Jack was exhausted from the hike and he could tell that Kate was too, as she slowly took the heavy bag from her shoulders. They both took deep breaths as they leaned on nearby trees to help support them. Jack stared blankly ahead of him until Kate bent down in front of him to do her shoelace. His eyes immediately moved over to her body, glancing at her smooth curves in a complete daze.

_'She's so beautiful' _Jack thought to himself. He was so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he didn't even realise when Kate gave him a playful grin.

"You checkin' me out?" Her voice pulled him out of his reverie.

"What?"

"There's no harm in it, it's just…"

Jack laughed at her innocence and smiled back at her. "Trust me. If I was checking you out; you'd know it." He chuckled. _'The only thing is,'_Jack thought _'I think she might already know it…' _Jack stood there admiring her smile, mentally slapping himself for doing so as he tried to focus.

---END FLASHBACK---

Kate's slight movement in her sleep brought him out of his daydream as he watched her nose crinkle slightly in the most adorable way. Jack sighed, wishing things weren't so complicated between them. If only he knew how she felt. Now that Sawyer had gone on the raft, things were slightly less tense between them but still as uneasy. Then again, the way she looked at him, the way she listened to him, the way she held his hand…their relationship had to be more than just friendship, right? Jack was so unsure of where they stood, but as he lay watching her sleep, he knew, he wanted more than friendship. Before he knew what he was doing, his hand was on her cheek, slowly caressing the surprisingly soft skin under his thumb. Jack watched intently as Kate leaned into his touch slightly in her sleep. He smiled softly even though no one could see it and gently let his lips graze her hand before quietly sitting up, removing his hand from her cheek.

Jack could already hear the other survivors rustling about, getting ready for another day. A dim light shone through the room from the candles in the corridor as Jack started to get changed.

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Hehe. Jack getting changed.

Please leave me a pretty lil review. Thank you for reading.

- Katie xxx


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